What the hell is going on? We’re stuck into the penitent fogs of Lent, death silently lurking behind every corner. We’re trudging through the cold grey days, wind in our face, feet caked in mud. And just at this moment, God chooses to pop down for a happy announcement.

Could God not have waited? Another month wouldn’t have mattered. A bit of morning sickness could have been anything in those days. It’s not really necessary to blurt out the news of new birth on the day of conception – no doubt God is suitably excited ….

I suppose from where He sits, birth and death are close cousins, the building blocks of meaning.